Nirmalie Pallewatta

University Grants Commission, Sri Lanka | UGC · Qualiity Assurance Council

Sustainable development is achievable only by integrating and acknowledging three main sustainability pillars (Environment, Social, and Economic) during the decision-making process. Sustainable/Green construction has become a major part of the sustainable development process in Sri Lanka today. Sustainable/Green buildings are evaluated using both i...

The moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of Sri Lanka have not been well studied and no comprehensive scientific study on their diversity has been carried out over the past 100 years. Thus, establishing species richness and diversity of moths in different habitats of the island is important. The present study was carried out to investigate moth species div...

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects all continents. Climate change has become the most discussed topic in the last decade, owing to the increasing probability of extreme events occurring. Mitigation of climate change focuses on avoiding and reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The industrial sector significantly con...

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (FAW) is an economically important pest worldwide and larval cannibalism is documented as one of its significant behaviors under field and laboratory conditions. The incidence of larval cannibalism amongst same-age larvae of Fall Armyworm was investigated under laboratory conditions using 73 laboratory trials w...

Purpose: Spodoptera frugiperda is a recently introduced alien invasive pest in Sri Lanka which can be a threat to many crops including maize, paddy, sugarcane, green gram, vegetables and fruits. Identification of this pest at the egg stage is important in controlling the larval stages of development. Therefore, the present study was conducted to re...

Beetles in agroecosystems considerably contribute to natural pest control based on their different behavioral tactics in hunting and discriminating prey species. With highly specialized anatomical adaptations for predation, Arboreal Tiger Beetles (ATB) are voracious visual predators that feed on various small invertebrates. Though ATBs are frequent...

Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides used since the 1990’s , that possess renal tubular toxicity. We conducted a field-based descriptive study in the North Central Dry-zone of Sri Lanka, where chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown etiology has been increasing since the 1990’s. To elucidate the relationship between renal tubular dysfunctions a...

Sexual dimorphism is a key feature mainly attributed to sexual selection and mating success. It is considered with importance when initiating management strategies for insect pests as the knowledge of gender-specific traits at the pupal and adult stages of pests has provided reliable information to manage pests and forecast outbreaks. Being a deadl...

Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot within the Indo‐Malayan Biogeographic region. The lowland and montane rainforest ecoregions contain high proportions of endemic species whose populations are experiencing increasing levels of isolation and fragmentation due to habitat destruction. One of these threatened species, the rough‐nosed horned lizard ( C...

The growing worldwide prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) has been reported since the 1990’s. Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides used since 1990’s, which may cause renal dysfunction, but the effect on the urinary concentration was unknown. We conducted a field-based case-control study in the North Central Dry-zone...

Background: The growing worldwide prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) has been reported since the 1990’s. Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides started to use in 1990’s with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor competitive modulator action, which may cause renal dysfunction as well as neurological symptoms. Methods: We co...

Morphological and morphometric studies on the life cycle stages of a species, specifically the egg stage, provide a sufficient guide in identifying the species from its initial stage. This study was aimed at egg mass characterisation of The Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (FAW); an economically important pest worldwide. Eggs were reared in th...

Cannibalism is a prevalent phenomenon with an ecological and evolutionary significance, seen in many non-carnivorous larval Lepidopterans. This intraspecific predation between the cannibal and the victim occur in conditions of low food quality and availability, confined space, large size disparity and high population density as well as due to signi...

Botanic gardens, forest reserves and other protected areas are established to conserve biodiversity. The present study was conducted to assess the butterfly diversity in a recently established botanic garden of Sri Lanka, the Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Gardens (SWZBG) and Indikadamukalana Forest Reserve (IMFR) adjacent to the garden. Three differe...

The population sizes of tiger beetles are known to display fluctuations in response to several microclimatic and soil parameters. In this study, analytical models were developed using negative binomial regression to describe the effects of weather and soil parameters on the population count of selected tiger beetle species. The tiger beetle species...

Sri Lanka’s location, historic and geologic isolation from the continental landmass, topography and climate act to shape its biogeography and biodiversity, including conferring a remarkably high level of endemism, given its close proximity to the mainland. The island hosts several ‘point endemic1 species and even monotypic endemic genera. However t...

This article is based on an evaluation of SAM projects in Sri Lanka's coastal zone. I was a member of the team led by Prof. Kem Lowry, of Hawaii. A full paper on the findings was published in 1999 in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management, 42 (1999) 717-745 , ELSEVIER.

Calomera angulata Fabricus, 1798 is a tiger beetle found in the countries of the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia. The species contributes to the species richness of the tiger beetle fauna of Sri Lanka which is amongst the top ten countries of the world for tiger beetle diversity. In the present study historical records of C. angulata were s...

Tropical butterflies should be studied as targets of conservation as they contribute towards maintenance of ecosystem functions including pollination. This study investigated butterfly assemblages of different habitats of the Western Province in Colombo district in Avissawella region. Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanical Garden (SWBG) lies adjacent to the...

Tiger beetles are an iconic, hyper diverse, predacious carabid group with global distribution. Fifty six species of tiger beetles have been recorded from Sri Lanka of which 35 are endemic. Island wide tiger beetle surveys initiated in 2014 resulted in identifying three widely distributed tiger beetle species, namely, Hypaetha biramosa (coastal ecos...

Since the 19th century, Cylindera (Oligoma) para-doxa (W. Horn, 1892) has been recorded from only 10 locations in Sri Lanka, with only 2 of those recorded in the past 30 years. We recently found this species in the Keeragala estate (Ratna-pura District) during field surveys. Our new record fills a gap in the knowledge of this species' distribution...

Tiger beetles are an iconic, hyper diverse, predacious carabid group with global distribution. Fifty six species of tiger beetles have been recorded from Sri Lanka of which 35 are endemic. Island wide tiger beetle surveys initiated in 2014 resulted in identifying three widely distributed tiger beetle species, namely, Hypaetha biramosa (coastal ecos...

Biological indicators reflect the environmental conditions of a given habitat which may not be reflected fully by incident habitat monitoring techniques. Bioindicators of habitat quality and environmental change, to be useful, must be identified qualitatively and quantitatively. Indicator criteria proposed by McGeoch and Pearson were used where eac...

Tiger beetles were surveyed from 2014 to 2016 in four protected areas of Sri Lanka covering the wet zone, the intermediate zone, the dry zone and the arid zone. Field surveys covered all types of major habitats found in each protected area. Species richness and other diversity indices were calculated and compared. The Dahaiyagala Sanctuary in the i...

This work describes the results of field surveys to sample tiger beetles from eighty locations of the coastal zone of Sri Lanka between 2014 and 2016 and application of indicator criteria to sampled species. Five coastal zone species were identified through this process. Indicator value (IndVal) method of Dufrene and Legendre was applied to assign...

Sri Lanka is regarded as a hotspot for tiger beetles diversity. This preliminary survey was conducted to determine the presence of tiger beetles in the Jaffna Peninsula in 2015. According to previous literature only three specie of tiger beetles have been recorded from the Jaffna Peninsula, but this survey yielded five species namely, Calomera angu...

Jansenia laeticolor (W. Horn, 1904) is a rare endemic tiger beetle belonging to the genus Jansenia Chaudoir, 1865. Here we present the re-discovery of this species 107 years after its original discovery in 1908 and descriptions of its habitat for the first time.

Climate change, the overarching threat that affects the planet, has brought forests into the international attention due to the vital role they could play in mitigation and adaptation. However, their capacity to play this role is highly affected by rapid deforestation and forest degradation. Sri Lanka UN-REDD programme identified that a detailed as...

The present study revealed the tiger beetle species currently occupying the coastal zone of Sri Lanka, with a comparison on distributions currently observed with historical data. Currently species are not recorded from Eastern, Western, North-Central provinces and Kilinochchi district of the Northern province from which they have been historically...

A poster based on the abstract of the research on tiger beetle distribution and diversity as described in the proceedings of the conference

Sri Lanka is regarded a hotspot for tiger beetle diversity with 55 species being recorded and 32 being endemic to the country. Cylindera (Ifasina) labioanea is commonly recorded, widely distributed tiger beetle species only known to occur elsewhere in India. We reviewed available distribution records from publications between 1904 to 2006 and museu...

Sri Lanka is regarded as a global hot spot for tiger beetle diversity with 55 recorded species, 32 being endemic to the country. Cylindera (Ifasina) labioaenea, recorded since 1904, is a common, widely distributed tiger beetle species in Sri Lanka and is only known to occur elsewhere in India. We reviewed available distribution records of five publ...

Tiger beetles are active predators of small invertebrates in a wide spectrum of habitats. Over 2300 species of tiger beetles are recorded globally in both tropical and temperate countries. Fifty-five species of tiger beetles have been recorded from Sri Lanka of which thirty-two are known to be endemic to the country. Understanding habitat requireme...

Tiger beetles are active predators of small invertebrates in a wide spectrum of habitats. Fifty-five species of tiger beetles have been recorded from Sri Lanka of which thirty two are known to be endemic to the country. Understanding habitat requirements of tiger beetles is important in identifying critical habitats for conservation, modeling distr...

This report presents the findings of an end-of-project evaluation of a community based climate adaptation project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Sri Lanka. The village of Serupitiya has been identified in 2012 as by the UNDP as one of the worst drought affe...

Tiger beetles co-occur for cryptic advantage, interspecific hybridization, reproductive synchrony and thermoregulation. Successful co-occurrence relies on the absence of competition and Hutchinson (1959) has proposed body size ratios for co-occurrence of bird and mammal taxa. The present study calculates body size ratios for co-occurring tiger beet...

This study was conducted to identify the land use effect on the physico-chemical quality of water and aquatic macro insects (AMI) in selected perennial water bodies from 08 tea estates in 03 major tea growing elevations: 03 from low-country elevation (<600m msl); 03–mid elevation (600-1200m msl) and 02-upcountry elevation (>1200m msl) under managem...

Sri Lanka is considered as a global hot spot of tiger beetle diversity with 32 species out of the 55 recorded species being endemic to the country despite the smaller land extent compared to other countries of the Indian subcontinent. The recorded species belong to thirteen genera of which sub genus Ifasina consists of eight species of which the ma...

A study of freshwater habitats and their aquatic insect diversity and abundance around Colombo Sri Lanka

Tiger beetles have been observed in many riverine ecosystems of Sri Lanka. However, current locations, species, distribution of species, habitat preferences and possible interactions between species are unknown. The present study intends to investigate these details and provide information that can be used in further studies. Tiger beetles are samp...

Tiger beetles are an important insect group in Sri Lanka due to their high species richness and endemicity. The present study investigated the distribution of tiger beetle species populations in Sri Lanka and history of species populations. Distribution was studied by conducting extensive field work that recorded the locations, habitat types and ha...

Body size is an important feature of an animal that is linked with its life history, morphology, physiology and ecology. Understanding the association between body size and habitat type of an animal and the underlying causes for this are important for determining their distribution. The present study examines the association between body size and h...

Habitats and distributions of tiger beetles are associated with soil of the location as the larvae are soil dwelling and oviposition site selection by females is based on soil characteristics. We report the soil characteristics of the habitats of tiger beetles from selection locations and soil preferences of different species. Ninety four locations...

Sri Lanka, with its 65,610 km 2 of surface area and 19.5 million people are blessed with more than 103 major water basins and most of these water bodies are starts within or close by to tea lands in sloping hilly areas. Scientific evidence on water quality changes due to tea cultivation in Sri Lanka is sparse. The present study was performed to inv...

The reservoir ecosystems of Sri Lanka are ancient man-made riparian habitats. Adequate food supply and suitable climatic and soil parameters make these habitats ideal for tiger beetles. Twenty-six reservoirs were investigated for the presence of tiger beetles, and four species were recorded: Calomera angulata (Fabricius, 1798), Myriochila (Monelica...

We report from Sri Lanka, habitat types and habitat parameters for a group of species of tiger beetles and investigate habitat specificity of these species using physical parameters of the habitats that they occupy. Ninety-four locations in Sri Lanka were investigated for the presence of tiger beetles, and species were recorded from thirty-seven lo...

The occurrence of the endemic tiger beetle Cicindela (Ifasina) waterhousei from Bopath Ella, Ratnapura is recorded for the first time. The study reveals a population of 276 beetles from the sandy bank habitat of Bopath Ella. A site description is given stating the abiotic environmental factors of climate and soil. Morphology of the species is descr...

The current occurrence, habitat and historical change in distributional range are studied for an endemic tiger beetle species, Cicindela (Ifasina) willeyi Horn of Sri Lanka. At present, the species is only recorded from Maha Oya (Dehi Owita) and Handapangoda, and is absent from the locations where it previously occurred. The current habitat of the...

This paper contains the basis of a presentation on invasive species and tourism. The contact details of the author have been updated.

This report is a product of a workshop entitled Prevention and Management of Invasive Alien Species: Forging Cooperation throughout South and Southeast Asia, held by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) in Bankok, Thailand on 14-16 August 2002. It was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State, U.S....

This workshop was co-hosted by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), the Royal Thai Government, and the government of the United States of America. Sponsorship was provided by the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Land Management, as well as The Nature Conservancy. The Royal Thai Government was represented by the Office of Environm...

Non-native plants and animals are invading the natural and agricultural ecosystems of Sri Lanka, threatening the country’s biodiversity. Human intervention has been identified as the major factor that has influenced the introduction and spread of the invasive alien species in this island nation. Seed exchange between botanic gardens and intentional...

Community-level coastal management programs are being introduced in some countries as a practical strategy to respond to conditions of poverty and unsustainable resource use practices. Two recently developed Special Area Management (SAM) programs developed in Sri Lanka are part of this international trend. These two SAM programs were assessed to id...

This paper presents general types of biological and ecological criteria for assessing and evaluating biodiversity taking the South Asian context into consideration. The criteria are meant to be used as guidelines for practitioners and others involved in decision making in EIA. The paper does not seek to describe the many economic and social values...

This paper describes the history and types of protected areas in Sri Lanka, the institutions and the policy framework guiding their management. It provides an overview of the management of protected areas and examples of community participation in natural resource management within them along with lessons learnt from their implementation. It nomina...

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the policy, institutional and legal aspects of conservation of natural resources in Sri Lanka. It focuses specifically on two independent community/NGO efforts at conservation named Community Based Resource Management (CBRM) that were implemented from late 1991 onwards and on two sites where Coastal...

This report presents the findings of a faunal and floral survey carried out from December 1991 to May 1993 in Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka. This national park situated in the highest peneplain of the country is a very important landscape. There were 744 flowering plant species distributed in 20 families with 14 endemic species among them....